Brotherhood: Season 4
by Jason Isaacs fangirl Rickmania
Summary: Michael Caffee returns to the Hill after the shootout in the streets to find that things are about to get ugly.
1. Chapter 1

(Major credit goes to Jason Isaacs Fangirl on tumblr for helping me out on this one. Fair warning; it will get weird in places. Obviously, warning for language, violence and disturbing content at times. All sex "scenes" are pretty well implied aside from a few.)

Brotherhood S4

Tommy: (V/O) Previously, on Brotherhood.

Tommy stood as the newly-elected Speaker, saying, "Ok. The House will come to order"

Meanwhile, at Rose's house, the phone rang, then went to answering machine; it was Michael. "I just wanted to let you know…I'm ok, Ma…and I love you…I guess that's it…"

…..

Ch. 1: Homecoming.

It had been a few weeks since Michael Caffee had left after the shootout in the street by Rose's house. He'd been shaken like never before, and figured it'd be best for everyone if he left for a while. Now, he'd come back, assuming that the heat on him had gone down, and returned to 'district headquarters'. He'd be more careful as to whom he trusted, and who he stayed with. He'd heard through reliable sources; eavesdropping on police officers; that Freddie Cork had, once again, taken over the 'mob' behind Michael's back. Boss or not, Michael was going to make sure that everyone knew the real boss was back in town.

Michael slunk quietly inside, undetected. Freddie stood, currently facing away from him, talking to Smallface Brennan. Silent John was keeping watch, and saw Michael approaching. He was about to say something, when Michael gave him a look that said 'Don't say a word'. Staying true to him moniker, he kept quiet as Michael stalked up behind Freddie. Before Smallface Brennan could warn him, Michael had Freddie in a near-inescapable chokehold, walking him backwards, away from any possible help he might receive; knife to his throat. He took Freddie a few feet out of anyone's reach, but still in everyone's sight, growling, "You running things behind my back, you fucking rat?!"

Freddie gave a gasp of air, trying to stand as Michael dragged him on his heels; his hands clawing at Michael's arms, trying to get a grip on him. It served no purpose, as Michael had his jacket on; he couldn't get at any skin on his arms, at least. The closest skin he could get to was at neck-level, around his face.

But Michael was two steps ahead of him, flipping him onto his back, on the floor, before he could even reach up. He knelt down, over Freddie, purring, "Thanks for holding the fort while I was gone," in a heavily sarcastic manner. "Consider yourself relieved of the burden." He left Freddie on the floor, and stood, looking to Silent John; who'd grabbed a rather large chain; saying, "Don't…" pulling a gun from inside his jacket and aiming at him. Silent John subconsciously took a step forward, testing Michael; who shot him in the thigh. When John stumbled to the ground, clutching his leg, Michael shrugged, "Told you not to…" He stepped over John, kicking the chain out of reach, then said to the rest of the guys that were in the room, "Let that be a lesson to the rest of you…don't test me." Silent John gave a groan of pain, and Michael scoffed, "You're fine, you fuckin' pussy…You've got one good leg; drive yourself to the hospital…Mention my name, you won't have a good leg."

With that, Michael left. Freddie sat up, muttering, "Fucking cunt, Caffee!"

Michael's next stop was Rose's house. The whole family was in the middle of dinner; Colin included. Tommy was seated at the head of the table, Eileen across from him. Rose had taken the chair she'd always sat in; the chair that she could see the door from in case Michael came home. The kids were at their own table, which was actually closer to the door; which was why Mary Rose was the one to get up when there was a knock at the door.

Mary Rose was surprised when she opened the door, gasping, "Uncle Michael?"

"Hey kiddo" Michael smiled. When Rose heard Michael's voice, she pretty well jumped from her chair as he came inside, embracing him in a bone-crushing hug. As their embrace broke, Michael sighed, "I'm…not staying…"

"Don't be silly!" Rose laughed, "Stay for dinner! We've only just started." She started toward the table, and frowned when Michael remained in place.

Michael's attention was now toward Tommy; who looked up at him with a smile. Michael shared a brief smile, nodding, "Mr. Speaker," then looked back to Rose, "…Colin here?" He couldn't see the entire table from his current angle. Rose, Tommy, and Eileen all looked to the far side of the table, to Colin; who was still sporting a black eye from when Michael had last seen him. Colin's heart sunk. He knew exactly why Michael was asking for him. He sat still for a moment, until urged by Rose to stand. "Tell 'im to meet me outside." Michael growled; a lack of patience when it came to his cousin. Colin joined him outside, and Michael ordered, "Get in the car" opening the passenger side door.

"Where're we goin'?" Colin asked with a nervous chuckle.

"We're goin' for a drive" Michael stated, choosing not to tell him where they were really going. After a quiet drive, Michael stopped in the middle of nowhere; the same middle of nowhere he'd brought Pete when he'd gotten drunk for the first time since getting clean, and threatened to kill him if he screwed up again.

"Where are we?" Colin asked, looking around at the area.

"Get out the car" Michael ordered, ignoring Colin's question. When Colin seemed confused, Michael repeated his order, putting direct emphasis on each word, "Get. Out. Of. The. Car"

Colin took off his seatbelt as slow as possible, and did the same as he opened the door and got out. Michael had gotten out and stood at his door, waiting. "So…" Colin stammered, not knowing what else to say or do, "Now what?"

"Start walking" Michael said, giving another order.

"Wha…?"

"Start walking…I'll catch up to you"

"Any specific direction?...Landmark?"

"Nope…Just walk" Michael commanded, quietly placing a silencer on the muzzle of his gun. Michael caught up to Colin, kicked him in the back, getting him down, and held him by the collar, throwing a few good punches to his face as he turned him over. "You fuckin' left Kath in Ohio, you fucking cunt?!" He threw a few more punches to his jaw, smiling, "Didn't think I'd hear about it?!" He straddled Colin's waist, then held him by the jaw, leaning in close, "I don't know what's worse…That, or fucking her behind my back"

"We never fucked" Colin stammered, putting his hands up to protect his face against any new blows, "Honest"

Michael ignored Colin's comment, purring in his ear, "Pack whatever bags you brought…and go the fuck back to Belfast." As he stood, Colin figured he had nothing left to lose, and aimed a kick directly for Michael's groin. Michael buckled in immediate pain, ending up in a ball on the floor; Colin backing away, in too much pain to stand up. Michael; trying to see through tearing eyes; groaned, looking for Colin. "Make your own way back…I'll see ya when I see ya," he let out a pained groan, holding his legs together, then said, "If not, good fucking riddance."

Colin stood slowly, staggering away with a headache. Michael remained on the floor, still in agony. It was then that Declan Giggs approached, laughing as he crouched next to Michael. "D'ya get nutted, Mikey?"

"Fuck off…" Michael groaned.

"Hey," Declan laughed, "I'm not the one that kicked you in the balls"

Michael groaned, "Ugh…fuck" As he stood up from the ground, he stood still for a moment, bent at the waist.

Declan laughed again, walking around Michael, behind him, and patted him on the butt; to which, Michael stiffened slightly; saying, "Might wanna ice that when you get home." Michael gave another groan, staggering to the car. He sat in the car for a while, watching Declan head to a pub, then figured he'd do the same. He hadn't eaten in a while.

After he'd eaten, he headed back to the bunker that he'd stayed in before he'd left; the one that he'd taken Eddie to and stabbed him in the leg about a month ago. in a fit of rage.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2: No One Mourns the Wicked

 **Thanks again to Jason Isaacs Fangirl on tumblr for helping me out with some of this fic!**

Moe had gone back to get some supplies for a raid he'd been told to carry out, by Freddie, earlier. When Moe came in, he didn't expect anyone to be there, and so, he began to gather up a few sawed-off shotguns, a pair of leather gloves, and wire-cutters. When he heard something rustle on the couch, he cocked a shotgun, heading to the source. He pulled back the blanket, surprised to see Michael lying there, sound asleep. "Mike?" He gasped, nudging Michael in the back. When Michael simply gave a grunt, still asleep. Moe nudged him again, saying, "Hey" quietly.

Michael looked back, equally surprised to see Moe there, and groaned, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," Moe snarled, "Where the fuck have you been?!"

"Trying not to get my ass shot up by Nozolli's thugs" Michael sneered. Moe paused a moment, then hugged Michael around the shoulders, to which Michael protested, "Hey! What the fuck?!...No hugs! We don't do hugging!"

Moe let go of Michael, and grinned, "Good to have you back, Mikey. Gotta say, I kinda missed ya."

Michael sat up, taking the shotgun from Moe's hand, smiling, "We've got work to do" as he stood, pulling a shirt over his head.

The two men loaded up the trunk of the car, and set out for one of the Mafia's safe houses. To their surprise, no one was there…except for a veteran officer with the Rhode Island State Police Department. Moe had stayed upstairs, having seen the cruiser, and fearing jail time. "Mr. Caffee…," the officer smiled, "I've been waiting a long time to put you away" The officer said as Michael came out.

"Shit" Michael muttered to himself.

"Turn around and face the car…hands behind your back" Michael's heart raced as he did what the officer said, though he showed no fear. Officer Brydon shoved Michael against the car, cuffing his hands behind his back before searching him.

About half an hour passed, and the phone rang in Tommy's office; his receptionist answered, and peeked into the room, saying, "Mr. Speaker…? There's an Officer Brydon on the phone for you…"

Tommy sat at his desk, waving her off. "Take a message…I'm busy right now"

"Of course, Sir." The receptionist left to take a message, then came back to Tommy's office, saying, "…Message from Officer Brydon…Your brother's been arrested."

Tommy's head shot up in shock, and he advised, "Cancel the rest of my appointments for the day…Take any messages necessary." Standing from the desk, he pulled his jacket over his shoulders, and left.

Once Tommy arrived at the police station, he stayed out of Michael's sight, muttering quietly to the officer on guard, "I don't want him to see me…and think he's getting out." The officer took him to Officer Brydon, and Tommy asked, "Why's Michael here?"

"We received word from a…private source…that he's connected to the attempted murder of Alphonse Nozolli." Brydon stated. Tommy's eyes widened, and Brydon said, "We have 5 credible witnesses, and an audio recording of the incident as it occurred." He played the recording that had been taken via 'wire' – Nozolli's driver had been wearing a wire at the time of the shooting, dying while it was still recording. "We have no doubt that this evidence points to your brother…It's enough to put him away for a long time."

Tommy looked to Michael; who sat impatiently in his cell; then said to the officer, "He won't hold up well in the prison community…He shouldn't be in that environment."

"That's up to the courts to decide, Mr. Speaker." The officer sneered. "He's not getting out of here until his court date."

"Which is…?"

"Next Thursday afternoon" Brydon stated with a smile as he walked away. Tommy sighed and gave Michael one last glance before leaving. There was nothing he could do until next Thursday; he would see to it that Michael stayed out of jail. One way or another, he would see that his brother received an alternative punishment for his actions, if they were proven to be his.

The week passed by very slowly for Michael; who stayed in his cell, suspicious of anyone who came in. Anyone who was put in the same holding cell with him was stared down and intimidated into staying away from him. Michael had that effect on people, and that was one of the reasons he couldn't go to 'real jail'.

Everyone seemed to avoid him, except for a drunk woman that had been placed in his cell on Saturday night. He gave her the same intimidating glare that he'd given all the others, and she simply giggled, "Ooh! Scary!" then staggered over to him, slurring, "What're you in for, stud?"

Michael put on one of his best snarls, and muttered, "Attempt murder"

The drunk woman giggled, hiccupping, "Well, if it was only an attempt, you didn't do such a good job, did you?"

Michael sighed, "There was an attempt…that's all they care about. It put the fear of God into the bastard."

The drunk woman smiled, sitting next to Michael, "So, what did you do?" She snuggled into his shoulder, placing a hand on his leg, "Shoot the guy?"

Michael nodded, "Did him a favor…Widened his asshole." The drunk woman seemed shocked by his confession, but snuggled closer to him, moving her hand further up his leg.

The woman raised a brow in thought, then asked, "With the gun, right?"

Michael's expression said 'Really?' and that was the last of their interaction. And so, he would sit there, and wait for his court date. No one else would bother him while he was in that cell.

A few days after Tommy's visit, Mary Rose began to worry about her uncle, and started to ask about him. She wasn't stupid; she knew he'd been back briefly and took Colin somewhere. She was the one that answered the door when he came. "So, when's Uncle Michael coming back?" she asked Tommy that night, at the dinner table.

"I don't know that he'll be coming back this time." Tommy sighed, "He's made enough trouble for himself as it is"

"What kind of trouble is he in?" She knew he was in with the wrong crowd, and all, but there were different kinds of trouble for him to be in with different kinds of people.

Tommy knew the questions wouldn't let up; he had to give her some kind of answer. He couldn't tell her that Michael was in jail, charges pending for attempted murder, armed robbery, and breaking and entering. But he knew she'd find out somehow; she was smarter than she let on. "…More trouble than usual."

The dinner table was silent for a while, and Eileen muttered to Tommy, "Are you gonna tell Rose? I don't know how well she'll handle hearing the news from the police, or straight from Michael…."

"I'll go over after dinner" Tommy finished, stuffing a forkful of pasta in his mouth.

After Lila and Noni were put to bed, Tommy left for Rose's house. It was something that he'd rather tell her in person. Over the phone, he'd know Mary Rose would find out a way to overhear their conversation. And over the phone it was harder to convey the appropriate emotion. As he got in the car, he phoned Rose to make sure she was still awake.

"Of course, I'm still awake. I'm a night owl." Rose laughed, "See you soon"

When Tommy arrived, the look on his face told Rose that something was wrong. "What's wrong?" When Tommy remained silent, Rose pushed, "I know that face. The last time I got that look, Eileen was having her first bouts with morning sickness." She thought, then asked, "She isn't…again, is she?"

"Uh…no…not again, no" Tommy smiled, anxiously rubbing at the back of his neck.

Tommy had a pretty bad tell for when there was trouble. "What is it?"

"You might want to sit down" Tommy sighed. Rose's expression changed completely, as the two of them sat on the couch. Tommy took a breath, then said, "…It's Michael…"

"Have you heard from him?" She asked, hopeful that she'd hear good news instead of bad.

"Not…directly" Rose's concern grew, and Tommy had to tell her. He'd just come out with it; no beating around the bush. "Ma…Michael's…been in a holding cell for about 4 days…"

"Why did you wait this long to tell me?! We have to go get him!"

"We can't…They have to keep him until his court date on Thursday"

Rose sighed, more worried than upset. "Surely, it's a false charge…" She shrugged, in denial that her gangster of an eldest child was caught doing something illegal.

"The arresting officer has audio evidence against him…As well as witnesses ready to testify what they saw."

Rose let out a gasp; it couldn't be true. She clenched her jaw, asking, "What…were…the charges?" trying her best not to cry.

Tommy hesitated, "…Connection to attempted murder…"

"Oh, my aching Jesus!" Rose sighed, wishing it weren't true.

"It's not 100% clear that it was him…The audio evidence could be misleading if you don't listen to it in context."

"Do you have a copy?" Rose asked, still trying to take all of this information in.

"They wouldn't allow it…They'll have it played only in court to avoid any tampering" Tommy explained.

"So, we can't go see him?" Rose asked, a pleading tone in her voice.

"I don't think so" Tommy shook his head. It was highly unlikely because he was in a holding cell with other people, and likely to be moved around if he acted out; which was almost definite to happen, given his temper.

For the next little while, they sat in silence, until Mary Kate let herself in. She sat quietly with them for a while, then asked, "…So, what are we going to do about Michael?" It was a fair question; and one that had to be asked eventually. No one said a word, which was somewhat upsetting. "Somebody has to do something" Mary Kate looked up to both of her brothers no matter what, and she couldn't let Michael go to jail, even if he was guilty.

Meanwhile, back in the holding cell, a repeat offender was being booked and taken back to the cell that Michael was in. He took one look at Michael; who currently sat, curled up in the furthest corner of the cell; and smirked, "Well, aren't you adorable?" Michael shifted uncomfortably, and the man smiled, "What're you in for, jailbait?"

Michael's jaw clenched in discomfort, then his lip curled into a snarl; a protective gesture; as he muttered, "Attempt murder." He wasn't going to mess with this guy; he'd see right through him.

The man seemed impressed, and sat next to Michael, touching his leg; to which, Michael flinched; and said, "You think you're a tough guy?"

"Piss off," Michael groaned, "I'm not in the mood for conversation…"

"Ooh!" The man laughed, "Cranky, are we, sweetheart?" leaning in close to brush a hand around Michael's ear, touching his hair. Michael flinched again, and the man asked, "Not so touchy-feely, honey?"

"Not with you" Michael growled.

"Aw, honey, that hurt" The man sighed, mock-insulted, holding his heart.

"Good," Michael smiled, nodding to the bench on the other side of the room, "Go sit over there and be hurt." The man eventually moved, seeing Michael was uncomfortable, and respecting that, and Michael smirked, "Just…stay over there…and wait for your pal, Bubba, to satisfy you…"

The man was quick to stand, getting right in Michael's face, "The FUCK did you just say?!" He held Michael by the collar, ready to knock him out for being a smartass.

"You heard me" Michael smiled.

A visiting corrections officer came upon the scene of the two men about to go at each other, and grabbed another officer, opening the cell, shouting, "HEY! BREAK IT UP, IN HERE!" as he peeled Michael away from the bigger guy.

The officer that actually worked at the station took Michael from the visiting corrections officer, and said, "You're going to a new cell, buddy"

"I didn't do anything!" Michael protested as the officer shoved him along the hallway to a new holding cell, where he'd be alone once more.

"Yeah…But you're smaller than him…Easier to control than the bigger guy." The officer smiled, holding Michael by the handcuffs, and by the back of the neck.

"Yeah?" Michael smiled, "Just 'cause I'm smaller than him?" The officer nodded, and Michael stopped walking, leaning closer to him as he unlocked the new cell. "I'm bigger than you…"

"But you don't have the balls to fight with a cop, do you?" The officer grinned, unlocking the cuffs. "Not quite like your Daddy." Michael was about to let it go, but the 'daddy' comment put him past his breaking point. Once he was uncuffed, there was a very brief window of opportunity for him to turn around and punch the officer in the mouth before he would be led into his cell.

Of course, he never made it to the cell. After a skirmish with the officer; who called for backup, while other 'prisoners' cheered Michael on with every strike to the officer's face; Michael was hauled up onto his feet by a senior sergeant by the name of Cherry Mills. Michael soon felt his entire body tensing up in…fear? Was he scared of her? No. Never. She just yanked him up from the floor with one hand…Maybe just a little bit scared.

"Calm down, little guy!" She laughed, standing him upright. "You're a scrappy little fella, aren't you?" When Michael's jaw clenched, she decided to tease him a bit. "What?" She smiled. Michael gave no response. "Looks to me…like someone's got some Daddy issues." Michael stiffened up, attempting to keep his temper. Cherry pulled him in closer, and smiled, "Did Daddy keep a belt for a best friend?"

"What?" Michael asked, confused.

Cherry rested her hand on his shoulder, smiling, "Did Daddy spank you a lot as a kid?"

"What do you think?" Michael smirked.

"I'm thinking weekly basis"

"Daily" Michael answered.

Sergeant Mills smiled, "Ooh! Naughty, naughty boy!" and led him into another new cell, where he awaited his court date.


	3. Chapter 3 - Political Influence

Ch. 3. Political Influence.

The next day, Tommy sat in his office, wondering what to do with the situation with Michael. How was he going to keep Michael out of jail? He knew Michael couldn't be in the prison community, but how could he communicate that to the judge, do it without the rest of the family knowing he'd interfered, using his political influence to sway or bribe them into letting Michael off?

Tommy had gotten his hands on a schedule and figured out which judge would be presiding in the courtroom the day of Michael's trial. He'd decided to meet the judge in person to see if he could use his influence on him to make sure Michael received some form of alternate punishment.

…..

They sat in Judge Mellor's office, that afternoon, going over the issue for quite some time. Once he'd heard all of the facts and the audio evidence against Michael, Judge Mellor sat back in his chair and sighed. Things weren't looking good for Michael so far. "Mr. Caffee…The evidence against your brother is substantial." Tommy nodded in understanding. "Yet you make a point that he cannot and should not be housed in the prison community…," he tented his fingers, leaning forward in interest, "Why is that?"

Tommy explained, "In the prison community; given his reputation; he'll either kill someone, or get hurt, himself…You know we can't take that risk"

"He's a danger to others if we let him walk" Judge Mellor stated.

"I'm not saying let him walk," Tommy agreed quickly, "But it would be more of a danger if we put him in the system…There are far too many people that he knows in there."

"That's his problem, isn't it?" Judge Mellor smiled. As Tommy's face fell, the Judge continued a thought, "It would be an entirely different story if he had a medical condition."

Tommy took no time to mention, "He does." When the Judge gave a look of interest, Tommy added, "Occasionally, he has…seizures…He's on medication."

"Interesting" Mellor thought, "Do these seizures occur often?"

"Not as often as they used to," Tommy sighed, then quickly added, "But they still occur…He needs to have someone familiar with him once they've subsided" Tommy smiled, "As they're random, and visiting hours are few and far between, I don't see much choice, other than…say…house arrest?"

"House arrest for attempt murder…?" Judge Mellor asked, surprised that such a request would be made. "You may as well ask me to let him walk, completely free of charge."

Tommy sighed, knowing it was a battle he likely wouldn't win. "Well, what else can we do? I mean, considering our situation?"

Judge Mellor seemed to be contemplating his options, and could only find one. "It seems we don't have too many options, do we?" Tommy's slight smile said 'No', and Judge Mellor nodded, writing something down, then said, "I hope to see you at your brother's court date…We'll have to speak again soon"

Tommy nodded in agreement, "Of course, Sir…Thank you for your time." After shaking the judge's hand, Tommy smirked to himself as he left the room; it felt good to get what he wanted, even if it took a bit of coercion and pulling rank.

Meanwhile, at Kath's house, Kath was putting Eddie Jr. to bed for a nap. She came back downstairs, to find Colin waiting outside. She opened the door, frowning, "The fuck are you doing here?!"

Colin seemed shocked that she was angry with him, and raised his hands in defence, "I was only coming by to say hello…Hope you aren't too sore…," he laughed, "Y'know…Ohio…"

"Ohio…" Kath gave an ironic laugh, "Why'd you think I'd possibly be mad about being ditched a couple of STATES away from home…NO CAR?!" Kath wasted no time stalking over to Colin, and throwing a few punches to his face, eventually knocking him on his ass. She bent down to his level, and snarled, "You'd better get out of here before Michael comes back…You know what he'll do to you." Colin stood, saying nothing, and got back in his car, leaving.

…

Michael's court date came, and Judge Mellor's final decision was, "Two months, house arrest. You'll have an ankle monitor keeping track of your movements, which will be limited to certain perimeters." Michael was surprised that he'd received so little a punishment, but didn't question it, nodding in understanding. He looked over to Tommy as the judge left the courtroom; he figured, due to Tommy's current expression – a satisfied smirk – that he'd had something to do with his short sentence.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4- House Arrest isn't Always Bad

A/N 1: This one gets a little weird in places! Thanks again to Jason Isaacs Fangirl on tumblr!

A/N 2: Sorry for the long wait, this time around. My laptop was being difficult and had to be sent away twice to have some tests run on it.

Michael had been sentenced to two months of house arrest, following a 'raid' gone bad in front of one of the only non-corrupt police officers in town. He was now stuck with Rose, as per the agreement that Tommy had made with Judge Mellor before the trial. Since he got home from court last week, Michael had been miserable; he had nothing to do, and one more slip up with the law would put him right in jail for 10-15 years, regardless of his situation or condition. The monitor on his ankle meant that he couldn't leave Rose's property boundaries until the two months were up.

To make his stay even more miserable, Rose wasn't going easy on him. She'd been 'wicked pissed' that he'd gone back on his promise to stay out of trouble, and then left when she needed him most. She was also really annoyed that Michael was the sole reason that Colin had left. When he came back, she put her foot down; enough was enough. Whenever he'd gone away, she worried herself sick over him; she would get so stressed out that she made herself physically ill, worrying. On top of that, her anxiety was definitely not helping with her cadmium poisoning. Her stress and anxiety was only making things more difficult, and recovery was taking longer than it should have. She was going to make sure that Michael knew exactly what he was doing to her. She just couldn't find the right time to bring it up.

Michael had overheard her on the phone one night, with her friend, saying, "Honestly, Helen…He may be too old for me to spank him…But I won't hesitate to do it if he pisses me off, from now on." She sighed, really steamed, "There are days I wish I could slap the attitude and behaviour out of him, and find my sweet little Michael. I don't want him to end up like his father…He's going down the exact same path." There was a pause, and Rose continued, "And then there's the issue with Kath…," she sighed, "I'm not sure what to do about it. I've heard it's Michael's."

Overhearing that part of her conversation, Michael rolled over in bed, pretending once more to be asleep as he heard footsteps down the hall. Rose was heading to bed for the night. Since he'd been feeling moody, he'd faked a stomach ache to go to bed early. Instead of sleeping, he stared at the ceiling, thinking about what Rose had said to her friend, then decided he was bored, and quietly headed to the bathroom for a handful of tissues once he'd Rose's door close.

He had to admit, it felt good to have his own room back, now that Colin was gone. However, Tommy and the rest of the family were staying at Rose's house while Eileen was in the early stages of getting used to the new baby; just to have a bit of extra help.

Heading back to his room, Michael heard the front door close, and went to investigate. It was Tommy, coming in after work, a bit later than usual. "You missed dinner, shithead." Michael teased, ruffling Tommy's hair.

Tommy frowned, "From what I heard, so did you." walking past Michael. He put his keys away, and said, "Ma sounded pissed."

"She'll get over it" Michael smiled. Tommy frowned, and Michael shrugged, "What?"

"You know, you break mom's heart." Tommy sighed, heading for the kitchen. When Michael gave a confused look, Tommy poked a finger into his chest, saying, "Every time you screw up…Every time you get caught, questioned by police, FBI…Every time you leave…You're killing her inside…" Michael's heart sank; he knew it was true. Tommy sneered, "Do you know how many nights Ma's cried over you when you left both those times? THAT'S WHAT YOU DO TO HER! SHE WORRIES HERSELF FUCKING SICK OVER YOU!"

Michael snarled as his brother got too close, in his face, and took a step back, stopping himself, and said, "You're pushing it, little bro…."

"It's about time someone told you off!" Tommy spat.

"Who the FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Michael shouted, getting in his brother's face.

"You seem to think everyone's just gonna pick up your shit every time you screw up!" Tommy answered, trying to shove Michael away. "That someone's gonna come save your ass whenever you need them! You got lucky this time…" He smiled to himself, then asked, "Kath's not here to calm you down, this time…Where do you think she is, right now?"

Michael grabbed Tommy by the collar, thrusting him away, growling, "Don't pick a fight you can't finish…You know who's gonna end it this time"

The two brothers began to throw punches, and soon, they were on the floor. Hearing furniture being shunted around downstairs, and a few dishes break, Rose hurried downstairs, turning on an extra light, to see her sons fighting. "BOYS!" She exclaimed. They ignored her in the heat of the moment; Michael now on top of Tommy. "BOYS!" That got their attention. She gave Michael 'the look', then wrenched him off and away from Tommy. She held Michael under the armpits, around the shoulders in a hold that pretty well prohibited movement of the arms, keeping the arms above the head. She peeked over Michael's shoulder, "What are you two doing?!" She let go of Michael, standing between the two men, and her gaze immediately turned to the elder brother for an explanation. "I thought you had a stomach ache…"

Michael shrugged, "Now, I don't."

"Something tells me you never did" Rose sighed, looking to Michael's pocket, "Why do you have tissues?" She asked, feeling his forehead, "Are you getting a cold?" When Michael's answer came only as a smile and a shrug, her eyes widened slightly, with a knowing smile, "I don't want to know." Michael nodded with a smirk, and Rose smacked his shoulder, laughed, "Get outta here" slightly uncomfortable, knowing what her son was about to do. "I don't want to hear you, either."

"Yeah" Michael smiled, seeing that his mother; despite being livid with him for fighting with his brother; was still very understanding.

The next morning, Michael woke up to find Rose sitting in the chair by his bed. He jumped slightly, pulling the covers up. Rose laughed, "What?"

"How long have you been there?" Michael asked, groggily.

"Not long" Rose answered, "A few minutes, maybe"

"Eh…I'm not…dressed" Michael laughed awkwardly, "Can you give me a minute?"

Rose stood, smiling, and moved closer to the bed. Michael pulled the sheets higher, tucking them under his legs so she wouldn't see anything; to which, Rose laughed again, "Well, it's not like you've got anything I haven't seen…I'm your mother…I've seen it."

"Not recently" Michael argued.

Rose sighed, smiling, "Remember when you got stuck, trying to sneak out of the window a few days ago…?" Michael shrunk into the pillows, nodding. Rose laughed, patting his leg, "And who had to save you?"

Michael sighed; she proved her point. The window wouldn't budge any further when he tried to sneak out undetected, and he got stuck, unable to force himself back in without causing injury. Rose smiled, patting her son on the head. House arrest or not, he was still her sweet little boy, despite what his actions foretold. It wasn't entirely his fault; he grew up with the wrong influences around him, his father included.

"That's what I thought," Rose smiled, patting Michael's shoulder, "Scoot over." Michael scooted over, making enough room for Rose to cuddle in next to him. She missed doing things like this; he'd grown out of cuddles when he was really young, and hasn't cared much for them in a long time. Despite it being awkward for him because he'd slept nude, Michael had to admit that it was really comforting, cuddled with his mom. After a few minutes of silent cuddling, with the occasional maternal stroke of Michael's head, cheek, or shoulder, Rose had a thought, and asked, "…Can you shower with that ankle monitor on?"

"Yeah" Michael nodded with a shrug, as he subconsciously moved his ankle, thinking about the monitor.

"So, what's stopping you?" She laughed, jokingly swatting him in the chest, "You stink." Michael smirked, lifting his arm, and Rose laughed, "You put that arm down, or I'll bathe you, myself!" Michael put his arm down immediately, and Rose smiled, "I really don't want to have to do that again!"

It had, in fact, happened a few times. Rose had to help him in the shower before he disappeared for 7 years. He'd been beaten so badly that he could barely move his arms. His left arm had been broken, and his right arm hurt too much to move it. She had to help him with everything 'bathroom-related'. And if she wasn't home, or if she was busy or asleep, Tommy or Mary Kate had to take over if they were there. If no one was available to help him, he was kind of screwed if he couldn't take the pain at the time. The attack nearly cost him his mobility; if he'd been hit just a little bit further up or down his spine, he would have been wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life. Thus, he went away for such a long time once he was able to take care of himself again. Everyone suffered when Patty Mullin had a hit on Michael. Now, it was just as bad, with Michael being home all the time.

Rose laughed as she recalled the next time she'd bathed him; she had to force him into the shower. He'd been in a lousy mood, and hadn't showered in nearly a week. She had ended up dragging him by the shoulders as he struggled to stand up, then physically undressed him and 'showered' him. He struggled against her, but not enough to hurt her, and it was done. But not without a fuss.

"So…do I have to do it, or are you going to get up?" Rose asked. Michael gave a tired groan, so she lifted the sheets from under him, and reached under.

"What're you doing?" Michael asked, getting nervous. Rose stroked a hand gently over his side, giving him a tickle. Michael laughed, then frowned, "Don't do it, Ma…" She kept tickling his ribs, knowing that's where he seemed to be most ticklish, and he chuckled, "Quit it"

"I will…When you get up" Rose smiled.

Michael groaned, and rolled over onto his stomach, smiling, "HA!"

Rose laughed, stroking his head, "I can still tickle you…" When Michael grumbled, Rose slunk the sheets down a bit, and moved to tickle the back of his knee.

"Don't…" Michael pouted with a slight whine in his voice. Being ticklish was one of his few weaknesses.

She continued to creep up the back of his right leg; the leg he was leaning on and couldn't move easily away from her tickling. The noise Michael made was somewhere between a giggle and a whine, which made Rose laugh; this was the Michael she wanted to see. The nice boy he'd always been, despite everything that went on around him. She reached the very top of his thigh, and Michael tried to shake away the tickly feeling. Rose then rested a hand on his bare backside. "Oh, would you look at that…" She teased.

"Ma…" Michael stammered, worried about what she was going to do next.

Rose smiled, gently running a hand over his bum. "You've always had such a sweet little bum…" She patted him softly, "So soft." Michael flinched as her touch tickled. His breathing grew more rapid as he wondered what she was going to do with him, if anything. "Aw!" She cooed as his muscles tensed. "Baby…Don't worry…I won't hurt you"

Michael breathed a sigh of relief, but tension rose again when Tommy came in. "The fuck are you doing here?" Michael frowned, wondering why he was back so early. Rose gave Michael a stinging slap on the butt for swearing; to which, he whined, "OW!"

"You watch your mouth, mister" Rose stated sternly. She knew her boys cursed like sailors, but she wouldn't have any of it in her house.

"Sorry" Michael apologised; a little too quickly. He never meant it when he apologised for swearing, or anything else for that matter. He looked to Tommy for an answer to his question.

"Lunch break" Tommy smiled, trying not to laugh.

"Lunch?" Michael asked, looking for a clock, surprised that it was almost 11. "Well, fuck me!" He laughed, realising how late he'd stayed in bed. Rose gave him another smack. After a whine, Michael smiled sweetly, "I mean…fudge…?"

"There's my good boy!" Rose smiled, stroking his bum as if to make it better.

"Kind of early for lunch, isn't it?" Michael asked, turning onto his back.

Tommy shrugged, smiling, "I take my breaks when I want to…I don't really need to be there unless they need me."

Michael sighed, letting it go. Rose patted his stomach to calm him down, looking to Tommy. She smiled, looking to Michael, then back to Tommy, saying, "Do me a favor…hold onto your brother's legs."

"What?" Michael asked, wide-eyed as he bolted upright. Rose pulled him so he was face down again, and he said, "Seriously, ma…what the hell…?" When Tommy took hold of his legs, Michael started to panic and struggle to get out of his hold.

"I lied" Rose smiled. When she could tell that Michael was scowling she gave a sarcastic laugh, "You do it all the time…It's no different."

"Yeah, it kinda is!" Michael argued, trying to squirm away. Tommy held onto him with a bit more force, and Rose took that opportunity to deliver her punishment. After every strike, Michael gave a whimper or a whine, which told Rose that her punishment was working.

After a while, Rose paused, keeping her hand at the start of his hips, and said, "Did you learn your lesson, this time?" Michael nodded, and Rose looked to Tommy, saying, "You can let go of him, now. I think we're done." as she gave Michael a more loving pat on the butt.

Michael rolled over, now that he was allowed to move, and asked, "Was that really necessary?" shifting uncomfortably.

"Of course it was" Rose smiled, standing from the bed, "Come on…Out of bed, with you" Michael hesitated, and Rose could tell that he'd say it was because he wasn't dressed, so she sighed, "We've been through this…Seen it…There's no use in being shy with family."

Michael sighed, sitting up. He had the feeling Rose wasn't going to leave until he was out of bed. So, keeping the covers over his lower half, he swung his legs to sit on the edge of the bed, looking to Rose; who was still waiting. "I'm going!' he smiled. Eventually, he gave up, knowing it was a battle he'd never win with Rose. He ended up having to get dressed in front of his mother; who made it clear that she wanted him downstairs. Tommy also stayed, just in case Rose needed help with the stubborn attitude of Michael's again. Michael knew Tommy was watching, and he sneered, "The fuck you looking at?" with a smile. Tommy smiled, shaking his head as he left the room for a minute, to check up on Rose downstairs.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5: Trapped Like a Rat

A/N As usual, thanks to Jason Isaacs Fangirl on tumblr for assisting me in some of the storyline. In fact, she pretty well did the entire chapter, to be honest.

A/N 2: Seriously, please leave a review! Authors need some sort of feedback.

Tommy was about to leave Rose's house and head back to work, when Slow Charlie arrived with Colin. That was enough to make Tommy stick around a bit longer. If Michael was up to something, Rose would have a conniption, and both of the brothers would face her wrath for it. If Colin came in, he'd likely leave in a body bag if Michael had any say in it. "If Slow Charlie's here, where's Dina Finnerty?" Tommy asked himself, looking out the window.

Rose had beat Tommy to the door, smiling warmly as she let Slow Charlie in. Tommy left Rose to talk with Charlie for a while; Colin stayed in the car, less than willing to come in the house when he knew Michael might be there. Their last fight had left him with a black eye, split lip, and two missing teeth. Everyone knew it was Michael that had done it, but they played dumb when Colin mentioned it, mock-shocked when he said it was Michael. Tommy went back upstairs to Michael; who hadn't taken Rose's warning seriously.

When Tommy came in, he wasn't really paying attention to Michael's movement by the window. He was keeping an eye on Colin, while 'stroking himself', thinking about Kath. Before Tommy noticed what he was doing, Michael turned his head, jumping, "The fuck…?!"

"Jeez!" Tommy laughed. "I thought…Never mind." He laughed again, "Uh…heh…So, Slow Charlie's downstairs, talking to Ma…" Michael's head perked up, "Any idea why?"

Michael shrugged, "…Colin's downstairs…He bring Slow Charlie?"

Tommy nodded, "Yeah…Don't know why he's not coming in, though." He smiled.

Michael thought, "I haven't given him anything to do…So…" He smiled with a shrug. As Tommy took Michael by the collar, he laughed, "I didn't do anything, this time!" Tommy got closer to Michael; who put his hands up in defense; saying almost in a squeak, "I'm not planning anything! Trust me, I don't want anything to do with the sack of shit"

"So, why isn't he coming in?" Tommy smiled, already knowing exactly why. He wanted to hear it from Michael, himself.

"Besides the 'Kath' thing…? Fucked if I know." Michael shrugged.

Tommy moved closer, placing his knee gently over his brother's crotch. Michael gave a shudder, still somewhat 'elevated', then tried to shove Tommy away, but he held onto him. "Kind of weird, isn't it?" Tommy smiled, pushing his knee closer, moving it slowly.

Michael gave a groan, "Aw, fuck…Come on!"

"You know, Ma's gonna come looking for you soon…" Tommy smiled, "So…How about you tell me before this gets really awkward."

"Awkward?" Michael asked, confused.

Tommy smiled, "We're brothers…I know everything about you."

"So?"

"So…," Tommy smiled, "Painful as it is for me to admit…I…know…what…gets you off." He smiled again, tracing a finger over Michael's nipple.

"Don't…fucking…do it" Michael panted, trying desperately not to think about the awkward pleasure it was causing. As Tommy kept going, Michael found it hard not to give in; it didn't matter who was doing it, it still worked on him. "What do you want?" He asked, "Seriously…I will do anything if you fucking stop doing that." Tommy chuckled to himself as Michael's hips involuntarily bucked forward.

"Man! This really works on you!" Tommy smiled.

Downstairs, Rose patted Charlie on the head, and walked him back out to the car. Turns out, he was just there to say hello because he hadn't seen her in a while. "Sweetie." Rose thought out loud to herself with a smile.

The car was heard from upstairs, pulling away. Upstairs, Michael stammered, "You can get off, now."

"I'm fine, right here." Tommy smiled, "…Except for you trying to fuck my leg!" He laughed.

"I wouldn't if you'd quit doing that!" Michael groaned, trying to think about something else.

Tommy grinned, once again lightly rubbing his knee over Michael's crotch, enjoying seeing him in such distress without causing him any physical pain. "Does Kath do this for you?" Tommy smirked, knowing mentioning Kath would trigger a response from him.

Michael panted, "FUCK!...You had to!" as he tried to get away. Now that he had Kath on his mind, this was getting so much worse. "Quit it!" Tommy looked into his eyes, seeing the desperation, and seemingly unintentionally brushed a hand over Michael's crotch as he reached down to scratch an itch on his leg. "Damn it!" Michael groaned, backing into the wall that Tommy had him against. "The hell was that?!"

Tommy laughed as he caught his brother's scowl, "What? My knee was itchy!"

"Yeah, ok" Michael rolled his eyes in disbelief, pushing away from Tommy, and smirked, "And my huge cock got in the way?"

Tommy gave a sarcastic laugh, and lightly swatted his brother in the crotch; not enough to damage or even hurt him. Michael flinched, and groaned on its light impact. "Huge?" Tommy teased.

"Must be, if it got in the way" Michael smirked.

"Maybe I lied just to hit you" Tommy grinned.

"Still huge to you," Michael teased, "Bigger than you, little guy."

"How would you know?" Tommy asked with a sideways glance.

Michael shrugged, "Eileen's bad at keeping quiet." he winked, leaving the room.

Tommy frowned, following Michael, "So…how does she know how big you are?"

"If you got it, flaunt it" Michael grinned with a shrug.

The boys started downstairs, and Tommy looked to Michael with a smirk, "You sure you want to go downstairs like that?"

"Like what?" Michael smiled.

Tommy shrugged, smiling, "I don't think Ma needs you pitching a tent in her kitchen"

Michael looked down, laughing, "Shit," and grinned, "Well, whose fault is that?"

"You started it" Tommy laughed.

"You made it worse" Michael countered, heading to the bathroom to finish off.

Tommy was about to leave, when Rose began to interrogate him in the kitchen. "Where's your brother?" She sneered, thinking Michael would have been downstairs a long time ago.

"He…uh…got a little…distracted." Tommy smiled. Nobody lied to Rose Caffee in her house and got away with it. At least, not to her face.

"Distracted?" Rose frowned, looking for an explanation.

Tommy nodded, and without thinking, added, "Everyone has their kinks."

"Ugh…" Rose laughed, raising her hands, "I don't want to know." She thought for a moment, then blinked, "I wasn't gone that long…," she gasped in thought, "It wasn't…me?" Tommy stayed quiet, smiling awkwardly; which told Rose it was, kind of. "Oh, my aching Jesus!" She sighed in realisation.

"Pretty sure it's just the act…not that it was you doing it." Tommy stated.

"That doesn't really make me feel any better." Rose sighed, giving an uncomfortable laugh.

Michael came downstairs, taking Tommy by the shoulder, smiling, "Can we…have a quick chat…outside?" Tommy nodded, and they went to the front yard. Michael kept his voice down so Rose wouldn't hear him, careful not to go over the boundary of the property. "Mind picking up Kath on your way home?" He asked with a mischievous smile.

"Are you nuts?!" Tommy laughed.

"I can't go out!" Michael smiled, "You can…and you can stop by on your way home, right?"

Tommy sighed, chuckling, "You're too horny for your own good," pointing to Michael, "You know that?"

"At least I don't have 4 little monsters, and no action." Michael teased. Tommy jokingly lunged for his brother; who gave a shriek, running in the opposite direction.

Tommy laughed, "Good luck getting far with that ankle monitor!" Michael shrugged, still moving away from his brother; who said, "So…what happens if you cross the boundary? Just a beep sent to the judge?" Michael shrugged; an 'I'unno' noise coming from his throat. "Wanna test it?" Tommy grinned, seeing if Michael would do it.

"You trying to get me arrested?" Michael frowned, twitching subconsciously.

Tommy thought it was best not to; he knew that the monitor sent a warning, but it was also designed to shock him when he left the boundary; much like a behaviour shock collar. With Michael's condition, Tommy didn't know whether he could take the shocks to the system. He was getting better, though; he barely needed to refill his prescriptions; the doctor said that she could decrease his dosage, and have him only take them once a day, as opposed to twice. She also mentioned an operation that could stop the absence seizures altogether. His sensitivity to loud noise could be reversed, and his motor skills would return to normal over a three-month period. The only issue was that the operation would cost $118,000, and Michael couldn't leave the house to get his dirty work done to be able to afford it in the time that he wanted to get it done.

"Never mind." Tommy smiled, patting his brother on the shoulder.

Michael smiled, and said, "So…Kath tonight?" pointing to Tommy.

"Yeah, yeah," Tommy smiled, getting in the car, "Ya horny bastard."

Michael grinned to himself as he went back inside, to find Rose waiting for him, wielding a wooden spoon. "What were you two doing?" She asked.

Michael shrugged, "Getting some fresh air."

Rose stepped closer to him, still holding the spoon, "So, why were you running from your brother?"

"Exercise?" Michael smiled, eying the spoon in her hand. He knew the look she was giving him; she wasn't pleased with his answer, or him in general. "Well, I can't really get out for a run." He smiled again, trying to charm her out of the possible thought of using the wooden spoon on him. Rose gave a slight nod of approval, putting the spoon back in the soup she'd been stirring.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6. Expected Company

True to his word, Michael eventually had a shower. When he got out, Tommy had come back from work again; he didn't need to be there as often. Michael left the bathroom with a towel around his waist, to see Tommy grinning at him like a dork. "What're you smilin' at?" Michael smiled.

"Keep your towel on" Tommy grinned, looking to the towel around his brother's waist.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Michael asked defensively, as he held onto his towel. "The girls aren't home yet." He said, looking to the clock.

They went to the kitchen, smelling the nearly-ready soup, and Tommy smiled, "No…but someone else is."

"Who?" Michael smiled, though not in the mood to be toyed with.

He then felt arms wrap around his waist. An easily recognizable voice to him purred in his ear, "You grumpy, baby?" The voice was Kath; she'd come early with Tommy. "Don't lose your towel, big boy" She purred again, giving the towel a slight tug.

Michael smiled, turning in Kath's arms to greet her properly with a kiss. When they broke away, Michael smiled, "You're a little early."

Kath played with the edge of his towel, slipping a hand under it, purring again, "I hope that's not a problem." as she gave his 'member' a squeeze, continuing to trace kisses along his cheek and jaw. Michael gave a quiet gasp as Kath slid her hand over his hardening 'member', and she grinned, "Always ready aren't you, baby?"

Michael gave another quiet gasp in pleasure, and Rose came back in, scoffing, "In my kitchen, Michael? I don't think so." She looked to both of them; who shared sheepish grins; and frowned, "Find somewhere more private," she shooed them out of the kitchen, adding, "Or I'll take the spoon to your backside, mister."

Michael and Kath settled down in the living room, and Tommy joined them; a bowl of soup in hand. He sat across from Michael, about to eat, and looked at his brother, somewhat uncomfortable, "Uh…Mike…?"

"Yo?" Michael smiled as Kath snuggled into him, placing a hand on his leg.

"Wanna close your legs?...Eating." Tommy smiled.

Michael smirked, splaying his legs wider. Tommy groaned, annoyed. Michael snickered, and Kath stroked his leg, smiling, "I don't think your brother wants to think about your balls while he's eating."

Tommy put his spoon down, laughing uncomfortably as he sighed, "Thank you, Kath" sarcastically.

"See?" Kath grinned, "Your huge cock upset him…Made him lose his appetite." Tommy groaned again, trying not to laugh at how awkward their conversation was.

"Poor little guy" Michael smirked, crossing a leg over the other.

Rose came in to eat as well, and Tommy relaxed, sighing, "Thank you" as Michael crossed his leg. It didn't last long; Michael went back to his previous position, and Tommy sighed, "Really?" Rose sat next to Tommy, somewhat oblivious.

"What?" Rose smiled, then looked to where Tommy indicated. "Oh, for Christ's sake, Michael!" Michael's eyes widened, and he immediately closed his legs, turning a light shade of red. "Go get dressed, would you?"

Michael nodded with a sigh. As he made his way upstairs, he tossed his towel in the bathroom, and unexpectedly ran into Colin.

When Colin noticed him, he chuckled nervously, "Hey, big fella"

"The fuck are you doing here?" Michael sneered.

"Just came by to drop off your share…One of our new boys picked off one of Nozolli's younger guys" Colin smiled.

Michael nodded, uncomfortable with Colin being there, and said, "…Ok…?" as if he thought Colin would leave after that.

Colin looked down, smiling, "Growing a 3rd leg, there, Mikey?" trying to smooth things over with his cousin. "You sure you're Irish?" He chuckled.

Michael nodded once more, with a smirk, and said, "Get outta here…Kath's around, and she's here for me." He frowned as Colin's face seemed to light up. "You even look at her a way I don't like…I'll do worse than a black eye and a few fucked up teeth." When Colin gave a look, he added, "You'll be shipped back to Belfast in crates…Are we clear?" he asked, stepping closer, getting in Colin's face.

Colin gulped, looking down again, "Crystal," then stammered, "Kind of hard not to be…stared down like this…" He gave a nervous chuckle, and added, "Who'd ya kill for those inches?"

Michael shook his head, saying, "You…if you don't stay away" leading Colin backwards, into his open bedroom door. He heard Kath coming, and said, "Out the window…NOW!" Colin did as he was told, and Michael went to his door to greet Kath once more. Despite their issues, they loved each other very much, and knew they were ready to take it further.

"Hey, big boy" Kath purred in his ear, stroking his neck. Michael gave a shudder at her gentle tickle. She placed two fingers in the middle of his chest, leading him into the bedroom; Michael grinning like an imp as he walked backwards. As she got him closer to the bed, his aching cock gave a twitch in agreement as Kath gave it a light tug. Michael gave a quiet gasp of pleasure as Kath traced a finger along its sensitive underside. To further add to his pleasure, Kath squeezed his ass with her free hand, laughing as he tensed up in expectation of what was about to happen. When he gave another quiet moan, Kath laughed, "Yeah?" knowing she was working wonders on him, while having barely touched him.

Michael's hands were equally as busy; one tangled in her hair, the other trailing up and down her back. When his hand stopped at her butt, she guided it back up a bit, giggling, "Michael!" He kept doing it for a while, and Kath kept moving his hand away. The last time he did it, Kath held onto his hand with a bit of force, and asked, "Are you asking for a spanking?" rather sternly, to the point that he wondered whether she was getting him in the mood, or if she was genuinely pissed.

"Mm…From you?" Michael moaned, trailing kisses along her neck.

Kath smiled, "Nah…I might have to bring Rose up here…She's had more experience." Michael looked at her with wide eyes, and she said, "Well, you are being a very naughty boy"

Michael nodded, "Can we…not…think about my mother, right now?" arching his back as Kath shoved him backwards, onto the bed.

"Good idea" Kath smiled, kneeling in front of him. "Just…think about what I'm gonna do with 'Little Mikey'."

As much as Michael would have enjoyed a simple suck, he wanted it to last a bit longer than that, and have both of them pleasured at the same time. That, and Kath meant more to him than that. She was good to him, and deserved his respect; something a blow job wasn't exactly known for. The lustful look in his eyes met her gaze before she was about to slip her tongue around his tip, and he smiled, beckoning her up to him. "Come here." As Kath stood, Michael pulled her on top of him, and another steamy 'make-out session' began, during which Kath began to strip away layers.

Halfway through their rather rough and loud 'love-making', somehow Kath happened to hear a floorboard creak by the door, and let out a noise that was half a moan of pleasure and half a groan of disappointment, saying between pants and moans, "Mm…Michael...! Did you…mmm…hear that?"

"Prob'ly nothing" Michael murmured, nipping at her ear, eliciting a squeak out of her.

"Michael…someone's coming!" Kath whined, grabbing at Michael's ass, making him growl.

"Yeah. Me" Michael moaned, squeezing Kath's ass in return, making her yelp.

"Michael!" Kath warned, gently slapping at his chest, "I'm not kidding. Someone's…"

It was then that Mary Rose walked past the open door, with a shudder and a groan of, "Seriously?!"

Kath quickly slid off of Michael, hiding under the sheets as Michael searched for a cop-out. He knew Mary Rose wasn't stupid; she knew exactly what was going on. He stammered while she waited for an explanation, and smiled, "I got nothin'…If anyone asks, we weren't up here…doing that…"

"Keeping quiet's gonna take a bribe" Mary Rose smirked.

Michael frowned; she knew how to play the game. "How 'bout a deal? You keep quiet…I keep quiet."

"About what? Dad already knows about the pot." Mary Rose sighed.

"Does he know you snuck out of the house last night, and came back about 2 in the morning?" Michael grinned.

Mary Rose closed the door behind her, coming in, "You wouldn't…?"

"Nah…You know me better than that, kiddo." Michael smiled. "You didn't see anything up here, it was me making all that noise this morning."

"Deal" Mary Rose agreed rather quickly.

"You gotta work on your sneaking, though, if I'm gonna cover for you." Michael teased.

"Or…," Kath piped up, "You could both…behave…?"

Mary Rose seemed to contemplate the idea, whereas Michael snorted at the thought, chuckling, "Yeah, ok." Kath slapped a hand on his chest, and he laughed, "You know I have little to no ability to do this thing you call…'behaving'" as he traced a finger down her spine, giving her the chills.

About to leave, Mary Rose looked to the door, and said, "Might wanna at least pretend for now…Grandma's coming"

Michael let out a frustrated growl, muttering, "Shit" as he jumped out of bed to get dressed. He didn't quite think things through, of course.

"Oh, come on!" Mary Rose groaned, almost catching the sight of her uncle from the side, turning away in time.

Michael gave a sheepish grin, grabbing a pillow to cover up, smiling, "Sorry" as he found the nearest pair of pants, pulling them on before Rose came in. Kath had also gotten dressed in that time. The three put on their best innocent faces as Rose peered around the corner. "Hiya, Ma." Michael smiled sweetly.

"Hi, sweetie." Rose smiled, patting his cheek, "What are you 3 doing?"

"We were…uh…." Michael started, glancing to Kath and Mary Rose.

"About to wax his armpits" Mary Rose interjected, stifling a laugh.

"We…what?!" Michael frowned as Mary Rose left, then came back with the proper equipment to do so.

"Yeah," Kath smiled, stroking his shoulder, "It'll take two of us to do it…You can't expect a teenage girl to hold you down, and do it herself."

Rose laughed, "Alright, that explains one thing…I'll talk to you about the other one later." She said, looking to Michael, and then to Mary Rose.

As she left the room, the 3 let out a collective sigh. Mary Rose said, "Well, we have to do it, now…" As Michael tugged on a shirt, he shot her a questioning glance, and she sighed, "She's gonna know if we don't."

"How?" Michael frowned, subconsciously rubbing at his left armpit.

Mary Rose gave a look that said, 'Seriously?', then said, "Well, unless you keep your arms down for a few weeks…" Michael shot her a glare, and she added, "Plus, if she didn't hear screams of pain, she'd get suspicious."

Kath patted his shoulder, smiling, "Take it off, mister." As Michael took his shirt back off, Kath shoved him back onto the bed, holding his arms up over his head so he couldn't get away. Within a minute or so, Rose laughed to herself as she heard Michael's scream from the kitchen.

Back upstairs, Michael was glowering at the women that stood on either side of him. His armpits were hair-free, and stinging from the friction and hot wax. "You had to say that, didn't you?" Michael snarled.

"It was gonna be legs, but you might be too much of a wimp for that." Mary Rose smirked, subconsciously looking to his legs. She gave an internal groan, blinking heavily as she was sure there was a 'tent' in Michael's pants, and left the room before it was obvious as to what she'd seen.

"Don't forget our deal" Michael called after her, smiling. After she acknowledged him, he looked back to Kath with a pout, "…My armpits hurt…"

"Aww…baby!" Kath smiled, stroking his neck.

"Kiss it better?" Michael smiled, taking a strand of her hair between his fingers, closing the gap between them. They embraced warmly. and Michael began to trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

Kath moaned softly, with a smile, "Mm…You don't mean your armpits, do you?"

"Not at all" Michael smirked, grabbing a handful of ass. Kath moved his hand away, turning away from him. He frowned, pouting, but his expression changed as Kath began to grind against him. Since he wasn't wearing underwear, the fabric of his pants rubbing against him felt really good, and since he was sporting a semi, it didn't take much to start him moaning…out loud. Michael wrapped his arms around her shoulders, letting a hand stray to her breast, to which, she giggled, moving her hand to stroke him over his pants. He gave a pleasured gasp, and his hips bucked forward. This time, Kath made sure that the door was properly closed and locked, then went back to Michael, shoving him back onto the bed.

…

Once finished, they headed for the shower. When they left the bathroom, they were caught by Lila; who was waiting to go. She looked up at them, sharing their surprised expression, and asked, "Why were you two in the bathroom at the same time?"

Michael and Kath shared a quick glance, and Michael smiled, "Just being goofy, kiddo."

"Two people aren't supposed to be in the bathroom at the same time…" The young one said, still completely innocent and unaware of the things that grown-ups did when the kids weren't around.

Kath decided to take over, and smiled, "Wanna know a secret?" Lila nodded, and Kath said, "Your Uncle Michael is really ticklish…I had to get him stuck somewhere so he couldn't run away."

"So, how come you're all wet?"

"We…got a little crazy with the shower head." Michael smiled, figuring it was a good cop-out.

"But your clothes aren't wet"

Michael raised a brow, and smiled, "Didn't aim it that way" patting her head. His lie went undetected, as the little one scooted past them to go to the bathroom.

A few hours later, they sat down for dinner as a family; Colin included. He hadn't yet considered Michael's advice to stay away. Michael had behaved the entire afternoon, and it wasn't until he saw Colin's face that his smile turned to a scowl from across the table.

"Michael…" Rose warned.

"I didn't do anything." Michael protested, raising his hands in innocence.

"Yet." Colin muttered into his glass.

"What was that?!" Michael sneered, paying no attention to the fact that Kath had placed her hand on his arm to stop him.

"Don't worry about it." Colin mumbled with a smile.

"WHAT'D YOU FUCKING SAY?!" Michael shouted, standing from the table. There were a few exclamations around the table, and Tommy and Eileen covered Lila and Noni's ears, just in case there was more. Recalling that there were children present, Michael stammered, "Uh…don't ever use that word…it's not a very smart word…" He put on a fake smile for the girls, and sighed, "Excuse me…" as he left the room, giving Colin another glare of death.

Kath and Rose slowly followed him out, shortly joined by Mary Kate. They found him seated on the couch with his head between his knees, propped up on his elbows, as if in a recovery position. Kath felt it was better to keep her distance, staying off to the side of the room for support in case he needed her. Rose and Mary Kate sat on either side of him, each placing a hand on his back; Mary Kate placing her other arm around his shoulders.

"Baby…" Rose smiled, softly patting his back. Michael looked at her, then checked to make sure Colin wasn't in the room, or the girls. Rose turned slightly, to face Michael, then gave his somewhat fuzzy cheek a stroke. Though he expected the gesture, he still flinched because her light touch tickled. "What's wrong, baby?" Rose asked. When Michael shook his head, Rose thought, then said, "You've been fine all day…What was that about?" referring to the outburst at the table.

Kath already knew, and nodded in Colin's direction. Colin didn't notice because they were out of sight and earshot. Rose caught on, and Michael groaned, "It's not that!" Rose gave him a stern look, and he sighed, "Ok, it kinda is…" He sighed again, sadder than before, and said quietly, "Think I'll stay out here for a while."

Rose patted Michael's cheek, and stroked his neck, smiling, "Ok, honey…We'll save you a plate for later."

Once everyone had finished eating, they cautiously entered the living room, not sure if Michael was still there, and in the mood he'd been in. There was no sign of him in the living room, or anywhere else downstairs. Rose looked upstairs, and couldn't find him there, either. She looked out to the front yard; he wasn't there. When she checked the back yard, she found him lying in the grass with his hands behind his head. Kath joined them, standing beside Michael as he was distracted by Rose. As Rose went back inside, Kath's presence still wasn't known to Michael, so she crouched beside him, then straddled his waist before he even knew she was there.

"Hey, baby." She purred in his ear as she held his shoulders down. It was no surprise that he wasn't all that happy; what surprised her was that Michael tried to roll away from her. She got off of him, and they both stood. Kath snuggled into Michael's shoulder as she took his arm, smiling, "I think you need a cuddle." They went up to bed, and, for once, only cuddled.

Sometime during the night, a scheming and vengeful Colin let Shannon in. She crept into the bed, next to Michael. Neither Michael or Kath noticed her until the next morning.


End file.
